What is known about the super earthquake that triggered the tsunami in the Pacific?

A record-breaking 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck Russia's far east early Wednesday morning, triggering tsunamis and issuing evacuation orders in the US state of Hawaii, Japan and Latin American countries with Pacific coasts.

The earthquake, the largest recorded since a magnitude 9.0 tremor that struck Japan in 2011, damaged buildings on Russia's remote Kamchatka Peninsula. Waves partially flooded a port, swept away boats, and collapsed the facade of a kindergarten, the country's government reported. Several people were injured and sought medical attention, but no serious injuries or deaths were reported.

In Severo-Kurilsk, on the Kuril Islands south of Kamchatka, tsunami waves reached up to five meters, Russian news agency RIA reported. The city's mayor, Alexander Ovsyannikov, said at least four waves hit the municipality.

He urged residents to assess the damage to their homes and not use gas heating until inspections were carried out, to avoid the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake was shallow, with a depth of 19.3 kilometers, and had its epicenter 119 kilometers southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a Russian city of 165,000 inhabitants.

"It felt like the walls could collapse at any moment. The tremor lasted continuously for at least 3 minutes," Taroslav, a resident of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, told Reuters news agency.

Lower intensity than expected

Kamchatka and the Russian Far East lie on the Pacific Ring of Fire, a geologically active region prone to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

The Russian Academy of Sciences said it was the most powerful earthquake to hit the region since 1952.

"However, due to certain characteristics of the epicenter, the intensity of the tremor was not as high as one would expect from such a magnitude," Danila Chebrov, director of the Geophysical Service of the Kamchatka Branch, said on Telegram.

"Secondary waves are occurring at the moment. Their intensity will remain relatively high. However, no stronger tremors are expected in the near future. The situation is under control," the researcher added.

Japan on alert

Tsunami alarms also sounded in coastal cities along the Japanese coast, and evacuation orders were issued for thousands of people.

One of the sites that needed to be evacuated was the Fukushima nuclear power plant, the scene of the nuclear disaster following the tsunami that hit the country in 2011.

Footage from Japanese public broadcaster NHK showed dozens of people on the island of Hokkaido sheltering on the roof of a building as they awaited a possible tsunami. Fishing boats left their ports to avoid damage.

Three waves were recorded in the country, the largest measuring 1.3 meters, authorities said. Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said there were no reports of injuries or damage, nor any irregularities at nuclear plants.

US and Indonesia also await impact

In the US, residents of the island state of Hawaii were advised to seek higher ground and the Coast Guard ordered ships to leave ports as the tsunami approached.

The U.S. Tsunami Warning System also warned of the possibility of "dangerous tsunami waves" that could spread across the Pacific. The first waves began hitting the archipelago on Wednesday morning. There is no information yet on damage.

"Due to a major earthquake in the Pacific Ocean, a Tsunami Warning is in effect for those living in Hawaii," US President Donald Trump said on social media.

In Indonesia, several provinces have also declared tsunami warnings. Authorities in North Sulawesi have begun evacuating residents from coastal areas as a precautionary measure, said Adolf Tamengkel, head of the provincial disaster mitigation agency.

In a simultaneous weather event, nearly 283,000 people had to be evacuated in Shanghai, China, as typhoon Co-May approached the city on Wednesday, state media reported.

The Shanghai Central Meteorological Observatory raised the rainstorm warning from yellow to orange, the second-highest alert level.

Tsunami could reach Latin America

Latin American countries have also issued warnings about possible tsunami waves following those that hit Russia.

In Mexico, the Navy's tsunami warning center advised the public to stay away from beaches along the Pacific coast, where waves up to three feet high were expected. Maritime traffic was suspended.

A similar warning was issued by authorities in Guatemala. However, the tsunami risk was assessed as low, the country's seismological institute published in X.

In Ecuador, authorities said waves could hit the Galapagos Islands. The archipelago, known for its unique fauna and flora and as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located about a thousand kilometers off the country's coast.

The government asked the population to avoid beaches and ports, and boats were also prohibited from departing.

Tsunami warnings have also spread to coastal areas of Peru and Chile. The Chilean disaster management agency estimates the possibility of waves reaching up to 3 meters in height. Evacuations have been organized in several coastal areas, according to local media. So far, there are no reports of damage in the country.

gq (AFP, AP, Reuters, DPA)